This site provides an electronic version of The History of Richardson County, a two-volume work that was originally published in 1917.  Volume I includes general county history, while Volume II contains biographical sketches of various county residents.  A detailed description of both volumes is provided below.

The books are provided as Adobe Acrobat .pdf documents, so viewing them requires Acrobat Reader.  If you do not have Acrobat Reader, you can download a free copy by visiting Adobe's website.  

If you are unfamiliar with .pdf documents, here are some quick tips.  To view the document on-line, simply click on the link provided under "Download" in the table below.  To download the document and save it to your computer, right click on the link and then choose "Save Target As...." (in Microsoft Internet Explorer) or "Save Link As...." (in Netscape Communicator).

Finally, special thanks to Dennis Tangney of San Francisco, whose work and generosity made the electronic version of this book possible.  

Title:

History of Richardson County Nebraska:  Its People, Industries and Institutions (Volume I)

Contents:

A detailed history of Richardson County, including its natural features, Native American History, exploration and settlement, townships, transportation, agriculture, and commerce.  View Table of Contents

Download:

History.pdf (3.11 MB)

Publication Date:

1917

Publication Location:

Indianapolis, Indiana

Publisher:

B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc.  Indianapolis, Indiana

Author:

Lewis C. Edwards

Pages:

p. 1- 754 (plus photos and illustrations)

Notes:

Please note that the electronic version does not currently include pictures found in the original book. 

 

Title:

History of Richardson County Nebraska:  Its People, Industries and Institutions (Volume II)

Contents:

Biographical sketches of various county residents. View Table of Contents

Download:

Biographies.pdf (2.95 MB)

Publication Date:

1917

Publication Location:

Indianapolis, Indiana

Publisher:

B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc. 

Author:

Lewis C. Edwards

Pages:

755 - 1417 (plus photos)

Notes:

Please note that the electronic version does not currently include pictures found in the original book. 

If you are doing genealogical research, be sure to check the entire volume for your ancestor's last name instead of just reading his specific biography, as he could be mentioned in someone else's biography as well.  Do this using the "find" command in Acrobat (located on the Edit menu).  I would also check Volume I using the same procedure.

If you have any comments or have problems viewing the documents please e-mail me (Erin O'Brien).  Please note that I do not have any more genealogical information than what is provided in the books above.  (Though I grew up in Richardson County, I now live in Austin, Texas.)  Further genealogical information on Richardson County may be found on the county's GenWeb page.  Best of luck to you in your genealogical search!